We are proud to share that our patients have been featured in various news articles. Hear directly from those we’ve had the privilege to treat, as they recount their personal experiences of recovery from pain and a range of health conditions.
Contact us today to learn more about our treatments and how we can help.
Kenilworth’s LJ is a 19 year old violin music student who presented at Dr. Brian McDonagh’s office with a 7 year painful, paralyzed left arm.
LJ began playing the violin when she was only 3 yrs old. She was a child prodigy, and played at Suzuki Violin. She attended the Music Institute of Chicago in Winnetka and had the honor to play Carnegie Hall while still in middle school. When she was 12 yrs old she began to have pain and weakness in her left arm. After seven years of pain, suffering, many doctor consultations and treatment suggestions, LJ had all but given up. She moved onto theatre and other activities to spend her time, all along missing the passion she loved most, playing the violin.
When Dr. McDonagh saw LJ she hadn’t been able to play or even pick up her violin. Her arm had been deteriorating for 7 yrs. She came to his office after her mother had read an article about Dr. McDonagh and his specialty practice in “Winnetka Kenilworth Living.” Previously LJ had been seen by several other doctors, but the cause of her problem was unclear.
Fortunately, Dr. McDonagh sees patients with many versions of peripheral neuropathy. However LJ’s case was unusual because it affected only one limb. This suggested a violin related cause. Physical examination of her shoulder, arm and hand revealed nerves that were tender only in one arm. He concluded that she had a traumatic neuropathy, caused by overuse of her left arm from enthusiastic violin playing.
Nerves can become neuropathic from overuse, this resulting in painful inflammation and loss of function, progressing to painful paralysis. Only one neuropathy nerve treatment was required throughout her arm for her, and her arm pain was gone within two minutes accompanied by her being able to lift her hand high above her head. So, her progressive seven year disability disappeared within a few minutes. She was then capable of resuming her violin career. When I met her at Dr. McDonagh’s office on a follow up visit, I could see the joy in both her and her mom’s eyes. Her arm was pain free and normal. It’s not fair to be so young and have something that brings so much joy to your life taken from you. LJ will be playing her beloved violin for many healthy years to come!
Whether you have migraines or other nagging neurological afflictions that afflict us as we grow older, Dr. McDonagh might just have the answer for these chronic painful conditions.
Published in Best Version Media by Mike Stark • Mar 23, 2023
My name is Christine. I used to be handicapped. Now, thanks to Dr Brian McDonagh, I am handi-capable! We first met in 1984 at a seminar. Not long afterwards, Dr McDonagh founded Vein Clinics of America. This medical group was a pioneer of injection treatments for varicose vein problems.
In 2008, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which progressed quite rapidly. I was in extreme pain 24/7. I had what is referred to as the “MS hug.” I was suffering with “locking fingers,” restless leg syndrome, and neuropathy in my feet. I was losing functionality to the point of having extremely limited mobility. Getting around required a cane, walker, or wheelchair. My neurologist prescribed Copaxone shots, as well as Baclofen and Tizanidine four times a day. I was so drugged that I was never awake for very long. These daily shots, and 8 pills a day, did not relieve my pain, they simply knocked me out … and then of course, I couldn’t sleep well at night. I was in constant pain, and I was beginning to suffer severe depression. Even with the side effects, I felt the meds were worth taking if they could help… but they didn’t. My condition continued to decline. Then, when I had a major exacerbation in October of 2019, I literally turned into a couch potato. My neurologist told me I could be bed-ridden or in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. When laying down, I couldn’t hold my head up … and standing upright was limited to just 5 minutes at a time. Simple tasks such as laundry, became an all-day job. My husband had to help me get into and out of bed and bath. He had to help me get on and off the couch and chairs … and most humiliating, on and off the toilet. My world was crashing down. The Copaxone shots were causing side-effects of necrosis, rapid heartbeats, back spasms, and hyperventilation. Sometimes it caused so much pain that I actually had to scream. I couldn’t work. My husband’s ability to work was now limited. The high cost of my meds (over $4,000/month) drove us bankrupt. We lost our home and had to live in a house that I hated. Something had to change. Suicide was becoming a viable option. That’s when Dr. McDonagh came back into my life. We hadn’t seen each other in decades. But, when he found out from a friend what I was going through, he immediately contacted me to say he could help.
I was quite skeptical, but I felt it couldn’t hurt to try. OMG … after my very first session, my pain levels dropped by 50%. I was able to walk out of his office without my cane. This was huge! Thanks to his peri-neural injections, my pain became less with each session. His work on my shoulders was a Godsend. The neuropathy in my feet changed so much I could feel my toes. My neck could hold my head up. My restless leg syndrome had disappeared, and my locking fingers moved freely. The MS hug greatly diminished, and I could walk without a cane for short distances. I still use the walker for long distances because of chronic back problems. Nevertheless, I am now able to walk and be upright for 20 minutes at a time, so among other things, laundry has ceased being an all-day job for each load. Yes, I feel you should give Dr. Brian McDonagh a chance to help you. I can’t tell you what will happen for you, but for me the results have been lifesaving. My husband is proud to tell people that he has gotten his wife back. My children do not worry about me taking my own life. My home is getting organized, and I can now travel to see my grandchildren.
Thank you and God Bless you Dr. McDonagh.
Christine Q, IL
PS: This patient is virtually symptom-free since her treatment in 2020.
I’ve had symptoms of Crohn’s disease since I was 7 years old. I struggled with eating, gaining weight, being extremely fatigued and with a general feeling of “brain fog’ when the symptoms were most severe, with cramping, 20+ visits to the bathroom, and utter exhaustion became the norm.
I had surgical resection of the terminal ileum, removing 24 inches of my bowel at the age of 22. Slowly life returned to a different norm but being out in public required a quick scan for bathroom locations at all times. Sugar, carbonated beverages, dairy, beef, pork and gluten had been eliminated for a healthier gut. Use of L-glutamine powder on a daily basis has been key, acting as a “wall paper paste” to help seal the leaky gut syndrome and assist in nutrient absorption.
Constant lower right quadrant pain ranging from a 3 out of 10 to a 9.9 out of 10 seemed to be what life would consist of with Crohn’s disease, spastic colon and random spasms.
I was examined by Dr. McDonagh who found evidence of a neurogenic cause to the Crohn’s dis. He then gave me 3 small injections in the abdomen and the Crohn’s pain subsided within 30 seconds; immediate relief! I have not had any pain or Crohn’s symptoms since. And importantly, the frequency of bowel movements diminished to 2-4 per day with normal consistency (without any watery mucous stools). Mental clarity and focus have returned. Brain fog is gone and fatigue reduced as my body healed. For me this was truly life changing. I cannot recommend this enough. The quality of my life has soared. Should the symptoms return I would immediately repeat the injection based treatment.
Susan S.
Evanston, IL
PS: I reasoned that her Crohn’s disease had to be neurological because of it’s behavioral characteristics, and the absence of any visible cause in spite of the millions of Crohn’s abdomens that have been opened, examined, biopsied and operated on over the past century. But what to do about it? I chose a dextrose solution because it was safe, anti-inflammatory, of nerve tissue with analgesic capability, and it normalized neuralgias. It was also anabolic. It erased all evidence of Crohn’s disease in 30 seconds, never to return. It was the greatest thrill I ever experienced while performing a medical procedure. And I’m still impressed.
Wow Dr. McDonagh
I can’t believe it! Best I’ve felt in 25 years. Incredible! What a gift you are!
Jodi, Minnesota
I’m a 31 year old male who has been battling debilitating daily chronic migraine since I was 15. These migraines have frequently left me bedridden for months on end and have detrimentally impacted every aspect of my life. Over the years, I’ve seen multiple doctors, tried many, many medications, and attended multiple pain management programs and hospital stays, all in hopes of being able to regain some control over my life. Unfortunately, other than finding some temporary relief, nothing has worked to prevent or end a migraine.
When I met Dr. McDonagh for my first appointment, I was fairly skeptical of his PIT treatment, having essentially lost all hope for myself, but I recognized I should give it a try as I had nothing to lose and potentially everything to gain. How I wish I had known about him years ago.
Within 10 minutes of being injected with the first dose, the pain I’d been experiencing for the past 7 months and battling for 16 years went from a 9/10 to a 2/10. Sitting in his office, I was in disbelief and needed to pick my jaw off the floor. After returning for a second scheduled dose just two hours later, my pain was completely gone.
It has been 3 weeks since treatment, and I remain migraine free and have no need to take any prescription pain medication. Dr McDonagh has given me my life back. I can never thank him enough.
I hope my migraines are gone for good. Still, even if they return one day, I will be sure to return to him as soon as possible as I have never had any treatment or medication that works so well and as immediately as Dr. McDonagh’s PIT injections.
Peter V, Lake Forest, IL
P.S. Another victory for Dextrose; most doctors consider it a placebo. But you can call it that if you don’t know better; it will be a placebo unless you put it close to a neuropathy.
I’ve been interested in neuropathic disorders since 2010 and I’ve been treating various examples of neuropathy including Migraine, Trigeminal neuralgia, Dry Eye, and IBS usually very successfully.
One day I thought about Crohn’s because of its similarity to other neuropathic painful disorders, but I had difficulty locating it’s nerve supply, knowing that the nerve supply would be key to relieving its severe pain. Normalizing the dysfunctional nerve was the key to this possibility. The next morning, a 53 year old woman came into my office for evaluation of her painful hip, but I noticed she had a long list of medications and biologics which she was taking for Crohn’s disease. She had many symptoms and previous bowel surgery when she was 22 yrs. old. I told her I had an idea to turn off her inflamed intestine that had no possible side effects. She knew D5W from her work at a local Pharmaceutical firm, and she agreed to try my idea.
Abdominal examination revealed about an 8 out of 10 level tenderness which was not unusual for her. I injected her abdominal wall subcutaneously with a buffered dextrose injection. Then I told her to turn over so I could check her hip. As she was turning over, she looked back at me and asked “Does it work that fast?” All her pain had disappeared so fast that it proved that a dominating neuralgia was the cause of Crohn’s disease; no wonder it has been such a difficult disease to conquer…..
Turning it off was the most impressive clinical change I have ever seen in medicine. She hasn’t had a recurrence of pain since 2016. Subsequent Crohn’s patients all had similar successful experiences, and no recurrences.
Brian McDonagh, MD
I’m in my 50s. I had Migraine since age 13, with 2-3 attacks a month, each lasting 2-3 days. It was debilitating, and I could not function normally. In 2016 I had 2 injection treatments by Dr. McDonagh on the first day, and one treatment the next day. Relief was almost immediate. I’ve had no Migraine medicines since.
Stephanie S,
Boynton Beach, FL
It must be wonderful to have the ability to completely change another’s life for the better in such a huge way. Getting them out of pain. Just want you to know what I huge difference you have made to my quality of life. No more back pain after 20 years. Thank you,
Patty
PS. Most back pain is caused by inflamed nerves. In fact the most common cause of Chronic low back pain is the Superior Cluneal nerve, L3. The associated arthritic bone changes are evidence of the inflammatory damage from the local neuropathy.
For several years I suffered from severe arthritis pain in my right hand & thumb. Dr Brian McDonagh treated me in 2015. I had 3 treatments in his office and the hand was pain free. The thumb joint pain was persistent and required 3 additional sessions. I am pain free since that time with no additional treatments or medications. I highly recommend him.
Gerald I.
PS. The cause of his arthritis was inflamed nerves in several nearby locations.
My mother-in-law suffered with shoulder pain for many years, and no other treatment helped her. She tried orthopedic treatments, physical therapy, massages, many different drugs, to no avail. Three visits with Dr McDonagh and she is pain free for more than 6 months now. I wish I heard about his neuropathy treatments years ago, it’s life changing.
Luciano Carvalho, Buffalo Grove
PS. Inflamed nerves are a big player in shoulder pain, and in most if not all joint pain.
Traveling overseas to visit my daughter last summer, I found myself grappling with excruciating pain in my right leg and knee, which significantly hindered our mobility and travel plans. The discomfort was so severe that I felt like a burden to my family, especially when it came to walking or traveling. Despite my skepticism, my daughter persuaded me to see Dr. McDonagh for a complimentary consultation. At that point, I was almost resigned to the idea that surgery was my only remaining option.
To my astonishment, during my initial visit, Dr. McDonagh administered injections throughout my afflicted leg and knee. I experienced a slight alleviation of pain on the very first day, but it was the dramatic improvement after the second set of injections that truly took me by surprise. By the third and final day of treatment, I found myself walking normally, entirely free of pain—an outcome I hadn’t dared hope for. In a moment of sheer spontaneity and joy, I even ran across the street to hail our Uber, something I hadn’t done in years. The realization of my newfound mobility moved me to tears.
Seven months have passed since that transformative experience, and I remain completely pain-free. My journey from skepticism to gratitude compels me to recommend Dr. McDonagh unreservedly to anyone suffering from chronic pain. His treatment didn’t just alleviate my pain; it restored my freedom and quality of life.
Jose Dias Oliveira, Brazil.